Tanzania opposition politician arrested for protest
In Tanzania, police have arrested leading opposition politician Tundu Lissu ahead of a planned protest. According to his party, Chadema, Lissu was detained along with two other senior party members in the city of Mbeya before a planned demonstration on International Youth Day.
The party also reported that around 500 young supporters were temporarily detained on their way to the protest and later sent home. Police had banned the Chadema youth gathering on Sunday and accused the party of planning violent demonstrations. Party leader Freeman Mbowe condemned the arrests on the social media platform X and called for the immediate release of all detainees.
According to the youth wing, around 10,000 youth were expected in Mbeya to celebrate International Youth Day under the theme "Take Your Future into Your Own Hands."
Lissu returned to Tanzania in January 2023 after more than five years in exile. This came shortly after Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan lifted a ban on opposition political gatherings.
The Chadema party announced a Youth Meeting in celebration of International Youth Day, which was supposed to take place in Mbeya. Regrettably, the Party Youth Meeting was banned by the police, who accused Chadema of planning violent demonstrations.
